6.26.2007

Germany has barred Tom Cruise and the producers of Valkyrie, a movie about a plot to kill Adolf Hitler from filming scenes at German military sites because of Cruise's beliefs in Scientology. The German government does not recognize the Church of Scientology as a church, claiming it masquerades as a religion to make money. Cruise is set to play real life colonel Claus con Stauffenberg, who led an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Hitler with a bomb in his briefcase in July, 1944. A spokesperson for Germany's Ministry of Defense said the producers "will not be allowed to film at German military sites if Count Stauffenberg is played by Tom Cruise, who has publicly professed to being a member of the Scientology cult... In general, the [German military] has a special interest in the serious and authentic portrayal of the events of July 20, 1944 and Stauffenberg's person."